Summary on "academic writing"

1. Advice on
“Academic Writing”
Macarena Iannuzzo
LEE 4 – ISFD 18
2016

2. General Overview

3. What is academic writing?
The term academic writing refers to the forms of expository
and argumentative prose used by university students to convey
a body of information about a particular subject. Generally,
academic writing is expected to be precise, semi-formal,
impersonal, and objective.

4. Academic Essay-Writing
What is an essay?
An essay is a piece of writing that methodically
analyses and evaluates a topic or issue. Fundamentally, an
essay is designed to get your academic opinion on a
particular matter.

5. Five types of Essays
Essays
Compare and
contrast essays
Narrative
essays
Descriptive
essays
Persuasive
Essays
Argumentative
Essays

6. Advice on Essay-Writing

7. An essay should have:
Argument
Answer to
a few
questions
Prove a
thesis
Clear
organization Essay

8. When thinking about essay-writing reflect on:
 Star writing early.
 Write what seems readiest to be written.
 Keep the essay's overall purpose in mind.
 Revise extensively.
 Draft and redraft as necessary.
 Put your essay aside and came over it later to let you brain work unconsciously
 Check the final copy.

9. Planning and Organizing an essay

10. As you attempt to write an essay, you should consider:
 The type of essay.
 The specific genre.
 The organization of your essay on the pre-writing stage.
 As many reading and searching as necessary.
 An outline: introduction – main idea + supporting ideas – conclusion.
 Unification of the paragraphs around a thesis statement.
 Unification of the ideas of the paragraph around a topic sentence.

11. Writing process
Pre-Writing Writing Revising
The writing process has three steps:

12. Pre-Writing
Reading and researching
Planning and organization
Writing
Writing Strategies
Using Sources
Revising Editing and polishing
Everything the
writer does before
beginning the first
draft.
The process of
writing itself.
The last step to end
the writing process.

13. Pre-writing

14. Essay’s basic structure
 Introduction: informs the reader about the nature of the
main topic and provides context.
 Main body: discusses and evaluates the topic. It consists
on all the paragraph written to completely develop the
topic. Each paragraph will tackle a different aspect of the
main topic.
 Conclusion: Provides the closure for the topic and
summarises all he points made along the essay.

15. Writing

16. During the “writing” step we can apply some writing strategies to
improve our essay:
Thesis statement
States what needs to be explained and
supported by further discussion.
Indicates the methodology of our argument.
Shows awareness of difficulties and disagreements.
For the writer
For the reader Carries the focus of the essay.
Predicts what the essay is going to be about.

17. Topic Sentence
States clearly the main idea of the paragraph.
For the writer
For the reader
Helps to know what to expect from the paragraph.
Lets to know what the paragraph contains.
Sufficient Support
Support the topic ideas by developing the paragraphs with evidence
from credible sources
Definitions
Researched information
Interviews
Statistics

18. Coherence
By using transactional words or phrases (linkers – connectors) we
express: contrast, purpose, reason and cause, etc. What helps us to:
 Make all the sentences related to the one before it.
 Make all the paragraphs related to the one before it.
Unity For the writer
All the paragraphs need to be related to the Thesis sentence.
All the sentences need to be related to the Topic sentence.

19. Tips for Essay-writing
Length of paragraphs LONG: makes the text dense and unpleasant to read.
SHORT: makes academic writing seem disconnected and insufficient.
Interesting and effective introductions
Identify your topic.
Provide essential context.
Indicates the focus of the essay.
Interesting and effective conclusions
Provides a sense of closure to the essay.
Stimulates further thoughts.
Place the concepts in a wider context.

20. Revising

21. Revising implies:
 Checking whether you have fulfilled the intention of the assignment.
 Looking at the overall organization.
 Polishing and editing your style.
 Examining meticulously sufficient support
appropriate transitions between paragraphs
essay whole structure
logical order
spelling
topic sentences of the paragraphs
grammar
punctuation

22. Planning helps you to:
 Produce a logical and orderly argument.
 Spot repetition.
 Notice whether you have left something out.
 Concentrate on writing issues such as grammar, word choice and clarity.

23. Reading and Researching

24. Reading different texts to gather information have to be carried on critically, and this involves:
 Looking primarily for information.
 Determining the central claims or purpose of the text.
 Paying attention to the context.
 Examining the evidence the text employs.
 Highlighting the argument.
 Assessing the strengths and weaknesses.
 Taking notes.

25. When researching for information it is important to bare in mind:
Audience
level
CurrencyContent
Reliability
Content
accuracy Affiliation
Authority

26. Bibliography
http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/academicwritingterm.htm
http://learnonline.canberra.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?id=178430
https://www.ukessays.com/essay-help/what-is-an-essay.php